Hauntings
by Solarengo
Summary: Legendary Riders, Leira and Ariel, have been dead for centuries. What happens when their ghosts appear on the coast of Surda? It's up to Eragon and Saphira to figure out the truth!


Hey everyone! This is my first Eragon fanfic, so please be nice. I'm still figuring this stuff out. Read and Review!!

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**Prologue**

Centuries ago, two Riders and their dragons stood out from the rest. Leira and Ariel and their dragons Dranya and Draeni fought evil together side by side. Twins they were, and twins they would stay 'till their death. They weren't look alike twins though. Their dragons were even twins. Together, they made the fiercest and most unusual team of Riders and dragons ever known to Alagaesia. Well, they did before they died. No one knew why, or how, they died. One day they were there and then the next day… they had disappeared. Other Riders scryed them, but their attempts were in vain. A few days after they disappeared, the other Riders proclaimed their death.

In the later years, sightings of these legendary Riders were reported. Other Riders searched the areas, but the legendary Riders were not seen or found. Every now and then, searches had been conducted for these Riders in hopes of seeing them or their dragons. Then, Galabotrix took over and the searches ceased entirely.

In a small town along the coast of Surda, a merchant was walking among his fellow merchants with his daughter and wife. They were selling lace for the Varden. He had just made a large sale to an elderly lady when his daughter tugged on his sleeve. He looked at her, curiously.

"Dada, look!" she said. The father looked to where she was pointing but saw nothing.

"Honey, there's no one there. You're just imagining things," he said gently, patting her head. She shook her head.

"No, not there! _There! _In the sky! There're two dragons and their riders up in the sky!" She pointed again. By now, she had attracted the attention of the other merchants and customers in the town. They all looked where she was pointing.

The father gasped in astonishment and fear. Two dragons and their Riders were flying over the ocean. "That's… that's not possible! I must tell the Varden!" He turned to his daughter. "Stay here with your mother." She nodded. Quickly, he climbed up on his horse and rode like the wind towards Surda and the Varden.

**Chapter 1**

Eragon paced his room, pondering over what Nasuada had told him. Saphira stuck her head through the large window made for that purpose and gazed at him solemnly.

_What troubles you, young one? _she asked kindly. _Is it the news Nasuada told us? _

_Yes, _Eragon admitted. _I just… well… two Riders, Saphira! Can you believe it? If that man wasn't lying… _He shook his head. _It's just so hard to believe… _

_I know what you mean, Eragon. When we first met Gladeor and Master, it was quite a shock. This is just too much to comprehend. For one, where did they come from? And why haven't they appeared earlier? _

Eragon looked Saphira in the eye. _It's not only that, Saphira. We don't even know if these new Riders are real, or if they are real, we don't even know if they would help us defeat Galabotrix or not. _

_True, _Saphira replied thoughtfully. _When did Nasuada say we needed to go to the town to find out if these Riders are real? _

_Tomorrow. _Eragon yawned. He ran a hand through his hair and sat down on his cot.

_You should rest. _Saphira took her head out of the window. _You'll need your strength for tomorrow. _

_Saphira, I can't rest! It's so hard to even close my eyes, never mind sleep! _Eragon yawned again.

_You'll just have to try then, _Saphira said firmly. She took off to her resting place. _You know where to find me if you need me during the night. _

_Fine. I doubt I'll get any sleep though. _Eragon lay down under his blankets. He yawned yet again. Soon enough, he was snoring gently, fast asleep.

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Orrin and Nasuada sat in Orrin's chambers discussing the sighting earlier that day. Their debate had not lead to any new ideas or productiveness. Somehow, thanks to King Orrin, they had gotten off-topic and were talking about vacuums.

"Enough!" Nasuada cried, frustrated with herself for letting the conversation get side tracked. "We were debating the sighting of the Riders and dragons! Do you remember that, or have you completely forgotten?" She almost stomped her foot like a little girl but managed to control her childish instincts.

"A good leader never lets her emotions get the better of her," King Orrin said calmly. He picked up the pipe he used to use when he had blown a hole in his ear from that last explosion and fingered it in his hands. Sighing, he put it back down. "Now, what about this sighting, Nasuada?"

"Well… How likely is it that two new Riders, not to mention their dragons, show up right when we need them? Eragon and Saphira are fierce, and Arya is too. However, Galabotrix has Murtagh and Thorn as weapons. Also, if he flies over here himself, we can still put off our destruction for a while, but we can't hold our own forever. If we had two new Riders, then we probably could defeat Galabotrix! The thing is," Nasuada said, pausing for a moment. She continued, "The thing is, it's just… how do we know that the man wasn't lying or hallucinating? We don't even know if those Riders are real!" Nasuada sighed. "Does that make any sense?"

Orrin nodded slowly. "Yes, I can see where you're going with this. It would be great if the Riders were actually real, but it's hard to realize if what you're seeing is actually there or if it's just a trick of the mind." Nasuada inclined her head in agreement. "However, it would be hard to trick all of the people at the market. They all saw it. I'm willing to bet that the dragons and their Riders were real."

"Well, Eragon is going to investigate with Saphira tomorrow. Why don't we all get some sleep? We should want to be rested in the morning," Nasuada said, stifling a yawn. Orrin yawned openly.

"Yes, let's get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning," Orrin said, striding back into his personal chambers. Nasuada left the room gracefully to walk to her chambers. Soon, everyone was fast asleep.

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Everyone was asleep except two Riders and their dragons, of course. They sat on the beach silently, wondering how they were alive, if they could be called alive, that is. The Riders were two young girls, about 14years of age, each. One girl had white-blonde hair and deep sapphire eyes. She was tall and lean. A sword was tucked away in its sheath in her belt. She sat perched on a rock, her eyes wide and cat-like. The other girl had black hair and green emerald eyes and was short. She held a sword in her hand, unsheathed. Her eyes darted around, surveying the area. The first girl's dragon was white with deep blue eyes and had sharp claws and fangs. The second girl's dragon was a light green with dark green eyes and had sharp claws and fangs. The first girl spoke.

"Leira, how are we here? We died remember? That fool of a Rider… what was his name? Ummm… Oh, I remember now! Islian and his dragon, Raen, killed us. How are we here, and why aren't we leaving any footprints?" the first girl said, looking down at where she was perched. She scuffed her foot in the sand; however, no marks appeared.

"I have no idea, Ariel," Leira said. "It's very unusual. We died for sure. I remember that. Islian killed us. He got us at our weakest; when we were on our own. What happened to him? Wait, you wouldn't know that… Never mind. Still, I don't know why we don't leave footprints or anything…"

_I have an idea;_ Ariel's dragon spoke up. Their heads swiveled to her. The dragon focused her sapphire eyes on them.

"What's your idea, Draeni?" Ariel asked aloud, for her sister's benefit. Leira nodded to show that she would like to hear it too.

_Have you considered the fact that we may be Spirits? We meet the requirements, in case you didn't notice. We're dead, for one. We can't touch anything for real; we don't leave footprints. We're ghosts of our former selves. _The dragon blinked.

_Then, there must be a reason for this. _The other dragon swiveled her head to face them. _We have to find out what is going on. We can't sleep since we're ghosts of our former selves, anyways. What are we going to do until the people in the town wake up? _

"Hmmm… Dranya, you're right. There has to be a reason for this. However, we can't figure anything out until we meet another Rider; one that's alive, that is. I suggest that we meditate. It may help us get our thoughts together. We still can meditate, right?" Leira asked, directing the question to Dranya. The dragon nodded. "Good. I suggest that we meditate until morning. Then, maybe our minds will be clear and our thoughts organized."

"Sounds good to me," Ariel said. She settled into a cross-legged position on the sand. Breathe in… breathe out… breathe in… breathe out… Soon, the others followed the suit. There they stayed until morning.

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Oooo, I think I'm doing pretty good with this! Okay, so how do you like it so far? I think I may add another chapter after Christmas. 

Until then!

-Solarengo


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